In her recently released book “10 Pounds in 10 Days”, celebrity fitness trainer Jackie Warner shows you secrets she has been sharing with the stars. In an interview Warner said, “Food is a drug and has a pharmaceutical effect on the system. Changing your relationship with food can have as much effect on the system as a prescription drug.”
Warner said her diet is different than other low calorie diets. “My diet does initially restrict calories but does not cause muscle and tissue wasting because every day you will be feeding your body highly nutrious superstar foods that your body has been starving for.”
She said that rapid weight loss has to do with how ketones are processed in the body. “Ketones, which are molecules of oxygen and carbon formed during fat burning, activate the release of cholecystokinin (CCK), a powerful anti-hunger hormone. CCK helps regulate your satiety, the feeling of fullness that stops hunger.”
Jackie cited a University of Kentucky study in her book indicating that 900 calories is a “magic number”. Participants in this study “lost an average of sixty-five pounds over five months and maintained a good percentage of their weight loss after five years.”
Her diet keeps you at 900 calories for only 10 days, incorporating all of the nutrients your body needs in those 900 calories. The plan incorporates 45 percent carbohydrates, 35 percent protein and 20 percent fat.
She said it is obviously important to pay attention to the types of food that are in your diet to get best metabolic results. “Processed food diet and skipping meals can dull your endocrine systems.”
In her plan, she incorporates what she calls “superstar foods,” the first being apples. The reason for apples she states is the “fat burning” aspects of pectin. She says the pectin “helps the body with galacturonic acid, which is a substance that decreases the body’s insulin needs .”
Warner cited insulin as a hormone that is involved in fat formation and that it is important to keep it in check. Avocados are another one of Warner’s superstar food and high in monounsaturated fats helping to boost your metabolism.
She said they help decrease belly fat. “When your metabolism increases, fat cells in the abdomen are the quickest to give up their fat.”
The third superstar food is the rich in alpha-lipoic acid broccoli which she calls her “secret weapon” against cellulite and decreases the excess levels of estrogen in the body. “Broccoli helps prevent the hardening of collagen caused by sugar, and also decreases dimpling.”
In the protein category, the superstar food is chicken breasts, which Warner said are “rich in branched-chain amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. “ This she said is imperative for muscle growth.
One of my all-time favorites is grapefruit which is an essential on Warner’s list. The reason is the high content of naringin “which blocks the uptake of fatty acids into cells to prevent our bodies from effectively using carbohydrates.”
Speaking of carbs, topping Warner’s carb list are new potatoes as a superstar food. She said the “resistant starch” in the potato delivers similar benefits of fiber and can actually help suppress your appetite.
A superstar breakfast according to Warner consists of a ½ cup of oatmeal which is rich in beta-glucan. Warner said it helps rid the body of fat and cholesterol. “It acts like a sponge in the stomach.”
If you want your muscles to grow, Warner says to eat your superstar spinach. A ½ cup cooked is rich in beta-ecdysterone. Enzymes and Vitamin C rich superstar alfalfa sprouts Warner credits with “speeding up the metabolism and burning fat.”
Rounding out the veggie list is Celery which Warner says is, “rich in calcium in the ready-to-use form, helping to ignite your endocrine system.”
Green tea and water are Warner’s essential SuperSTAR beverages. Green tea, she said, helps with cravings and contains polyphenols which she says are credited with anti-tumor properties.
She underscored the importance of water, encouraging consumption of two to three liters a day. Water, she said, is essential to help with cravings. She described cravings as a “sign of plain dehydration, not a cry for food.”
Of course, Warner’s program would not be complete without an exercise component. Her 10x10 program is easy to follow and progresses you through various phases.
"10 Pounds in 10 Days" is available on Warner’s website www.jackiewarner.com/ as well as on Amazon.com.
References:
10 Pounds in 10 Days, 2012; Jackie Warner.
Joanne Sgro-Killworth is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training.
Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com/ She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her husband and son, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.
Reviewed May 11, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith